Mozzarella stick portion increases after student complaint

The portion size of mozzarella sticks in Piano Row’s Max Cafe has increased, thanks to efforts by sophomore Jackson Davis.

Davis said he went to the Max Cafe last month and received what he called “four of the most pathetic mozzarella sticks I have ever seen in my life.” At the time, the mozzarella sticks dish came with four pieces and cost $5.13, which Davis considered inadequate.

“I was pretty pissed, to be honest,” the visual and media arts major told the Beacon in a Facebook message. ”Everyone acts like Board Bucks are some kind of magical, not real currency, but in reality it's a 1-to-1 ratio between USD.”

Davis posted a picture of the mozzarella sticks to his Snapchat story and class’s Facebook page with the caption “$5.13.”

“Then I thought, we always complain about Sodexo to each other, but never actually to the people that operate Sodexo,” said Davis. “What if the managers of dining services just actually have no idea about the horrible quality of food they're pushing out?”

Davis sent an email to dining services with the photo attached, asking “Just wondering, how do you justify this?” Steven Canario, the general manager of dining services, responded to his email a few days later.

“I met with the team to discuss your concerns,” Canario wrote in the email, which Davis provided to the Beacon. “We have adjusted the portion on that particular item. I have also requested a refund of $4.79 to your board bucks."

In an interview, Canario said he finds feedback like this useful.

“We looked at the product, how much it cost for packaging and the cost of the food, and decided to change the price,” Canario said in an interview.

The price has stayed the same for the mozzarella sticks, but instead of four pieces, the dish now includes six.

Davis said he is pleased with the results.

“I hope that this instance can serve as a catalyst for other students to be proactive about the dining services at Emerson,” said Davis. “If that doesn't happen, oh well, at least we have more mozzarella sticks.”